Oh look another saddle thread! Forward flaps?

[c0608524]

Hunter here, posting on behalf of a friend from the barn.

Friend bought a new horse. Old saddle fits the horse OK. I can find the make of the stubben later today. Old horse had a much larger barrel and new horse is much more flat sided. On the new horse her saddle puts her into a terrible chair position. Had to raise her stirrups (only one hole!) as she was really reaching for the irons… but now has her knee over the flap. She’s quite long between hip and knee. When trying to bring her leg back underneath her she then tips forward. Her entire ride is spent fighting the saddle.

So… the hunt for a new saddle begins. We’re in lockdown here but once it lifts our saddle fitter/rep will be out. To my uneducated eye I think she needs something with a more forward flap but I’m not very savvy with dressage rider fit. Has anyone had this problem and found a brand that is more forward in the flap than others?

[Scribbler]

I’m going to say the saddle does not fit the horse as well as she thinks. The saddle is likely tipping forward. Have another look at saddle fit and see if you need shims or a gel riser in front. Has friend had an independent saddle fitter out?

I say this because IME I am more likely to get chair seat on a big barrel horse where my leg seeks the forward girth groove. Slab sided should be much easier to drop your leg. So something else is going on.

[SillyHorse]

I agree with Scribbler. Her leg should hang down more easily on a slab-sided horse than on one with a larger barrel. The saddle isn’t a good fit.

[c0608524]

You’re correct that it tips forward slightly. Hard to see on the ground but rider can feel it. It’s been thought about buying pad we can put front shims in which may be a solution for now.

Saddle fitter is as independent as we’re going to get in our area, they carry a few brands. I’ve dealt with them before and my biggest complaint with them is ignoring budget… but thankfully rider has a large budget and is prepared to buy new. Would have the fitter out by now but current events keep the province closed.

[outerbanks77]

I agree that the problem is likely to do with not fitting the horse, if the rider was happy with it on the previous horse. Chair seat tends to happen more from the stirrup bars not being in the right place relative to the pelvis. The knees can be over the flaps and the rider is not necessarily in a chair seat. However, as a long-legged rider, I will say that getting a forward flap and a short, angled thigh block (if buying a saddle with blocks) that leaves the knee free is a game-changer, and something your friend should look at if she has the budget to buy new/custom.

[wildlifer]

As someone with what I call "freaky long femurs ", I know this tale well. While there certainly may be an element of horse fit, having that long thigh makes saddles even more torture than normal.

The two game-changers for me were (1) move up 0.5" saddle size, from 17.5 to 18", as saddle size isn’t really about butt size, (2) whenever possible, ask/opt for a more forward flap. 2 is especially hard for me bc I am at the “very poor” end of the horse socioeconomic spectrum, so it takes a lot longer to find things that fit. I was able to order a Black Country with a specially angled flap, as it was a gift. The rest have been off the rack & I was able to meet my needs with just the larger size.

[TheDBYC]

@wildlifer

As someone with what I call "freaky long femurs ", I know this tale well. W

Oh, hello my heretofore unknown twin! So nice to meet you! I even refer to them as my freakishly long femurs.

[IPEsq]

If she’s in a chair seat as the only way to sit balanced, then there’s a problem with the balance of the saddle for the horse too. But yes, some makers will have a forward flap option. I have 2 Equipes with custom forward flaps and smaller blocks because when my pelvis is in neutral, I tend to run into the blocks on most saddles too much, and that gives me a lot of joint pain and/or pushes my pelvis into a weird shape. But my heel is still below my hip–I’m not in a chair seat.